Tie-plate.



B. B. BETTS.

TIE PLATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, I913.

Patented Oct. 5, 1915 I Ll BENJAMIN B. BETTS, OF ST. LOT .TIS, MISSOURI.

TIE-PLATE.

Application filed May 13, 1913. Serial No. 767,434.

piece of material and in such manner thatunaltered. standard running and guard rails may be properly disposed .and secured in relation to each other, and to construct the plate so that buckling caused by lateral strains of rolling stock is wholly eliminated.

'ith the above purposes in view my invention consists'in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter described. pointed out in the claims and illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a plan of a tie plate constructed according to my invention: Fig. is an elevation of the plate shown in Fig. 1, showing a running rail and a guard rail in place; and Fig. 3 is an inverted plan of the plate with certain parts broken away.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings: 4 designates the body of the plate which is preferably of oblong-rectangularshape. As shown in the drawings the upper face at the-right hand side of the plate is employed as the rail-bearing surface 5 for an unaltered, standard running rail (3. Projecting upwardly from the upper face ofthe plate, contiguous to the right hand margin of the rail-bearing surface 5, a rail-base shoulder 7 and formed through the plate intersecting the rail-base shoulder 7 are one or more spike openings 8.

In order to adapt the plate to varying widths of rail-bases. I resort to the common expedient of extending the spike openings a slight distance to the left of the. rail-base shoulder 7. Formed on the top face of the body of the plate to the left of the railbearing surface Tris a rail-bearing surface-1) which is in a plane above the plane of the railbearing surface (ontiguous to the left hand margin of the ra'il-l'iearing surface9 there is a rail-base, shoulder 'lllext nd 'ing transversely of the surface 9. Formed through the plate intersecting theshoulder 10 is a spike opening 11 and formed through the body of the plate alone to the left of the rail-bearing surface 9 are one or more spike openings 12.

Formed on the right hand margin of the body which constitutes the rail-bearing surgral withthe body constituting the rail-' bearing surface 9 and which projects toward the left hand end of the plate to overhang the rail-bearing surface 9 to provide a means for securing'the right hand margin of the rail-base of the guard rail 15.;

16 designates a brace formed integral with Patented Oct. 5, 1915.--

the overhanging lips 13 and 14 and projects.

upwardly and toward the right therefrom to a point where it will engage the bottom of the ball of the running rail For the purpose of saving material to reduce the 'cost of the plate there are formed in the rail-bearing surface 9 the cavities 17, and in order to reinforce the lips 13 and 14 I provide the integral ribs 18.

Projecting downwardly from the underneath face of the plate at about the longiv tudinal center there is atransverse row of ribs 19 which are shaped to embed in the tie to prevent creeping ofthe plate and further to stiffen the plate to prevent buckling. At both ends of the plate and on the lower face thereof are the transverse .roWs of ribs 20 which prevent creeping of the plate and also rocking of the plate over the ribs 19.

In use I contemplate the employment of, say for example, a one hundred pound run- :-ing rail and an eighty pound guard rail.

in order that the balls of the two rails may be separated a proper distance laterally relative to each other and Without altering their structures it'will be necessary to overlap their bases, hence the rail-bearing surface for the guard rail must extend over the rail'bearing surface for the running rail; and in order that the ball of the guard rail be held above the plane of the ball of the running rail the rail-bearing surface of the guard rail must be above the running rail bearing surface.

By the provision of the brace 16 for the running rail the load of the rolling stock Lad is shifted to the center of the tie plate in order to prevent buckling'which is common in plates where the load is carried directly a. rail-bearing shoulder against which the outer rail flange of the guard rail is adapted to bear, and a brace extending from said overlapped margins to a point above and laterally removed from said overlapped margins to stand beneath the ball of the running rail supported by the plate.

2. The combination with a standard run ing rail and a standard guard rail, of a tie plate eomprisinga unitary structure and consisting of a pair of rail seats, the guard rail seat/being in a plane above and its inner margin overlapping the inner margin of the running rail seat, a lip rising from the plate over said overlapped seat margins,-a brace extending from said lip to the ball of the running rail, there being recesses to receive the inner, overlapped margins of both rails and rail bearing shoulders arising irom said seats in opposition to said recesses, shoulders and recesses holding both rails against lateral movement to prevent spike shearing and said brace shifting the load strains on the running rail to the center of the plate and the lateral strains of the guard rail to the ball of the running rail in order -to prevent plate'buckling and breaking.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BENJAMIN B. BETTS.

llitnesses E. L. ALLi-JE-E, E. M. Hiuuuxoron. 

